European Union drops cellphone roaming charges

The end of roaming charges is at the foundation of the EU's Digital Single Market and is another step towards building a united and sustainable European digital society, accessible for all our citizens. A very small number of operators in the European Union have been allowed by the national telecoms regulator to continue applying a small roaming surcharge after 15 June, in order to avoid negative effects on very low domestic prices.

Since the first mobile phones came into circulation, network companies have charged extortionate prices on mobile roaming.

A new European Union (EU) law has scrapped the roaming charges for people using mobile phones overseas has come into force today, on June 15.

"By making communication easier and less expensive, we are bringing Europeans closer to each other, further strengthening Europe and the bonds that tie us together, whether we are at home or away".

New rules mean an end to the high roaming fees that some operators have been charging their customers when they were out of their home country. Starting today, consumers using a SIM card from one European Union member state in another won't be subject to any additional charges and will pay standard domestic prices for SMS messages, mobile Internet data, and calls. Equally, EU phone users in Switzerland will still be subject to roaming charges when they are in Switzerland, although some EU operators, for example Vodafone, treat Switzerland as part of the EU for roaming purposes.

Holidaymakers are encouraged to check if their mobile provider includes Turkey in the ban or not, as this varies across the board.

No. Charging people more to use their phones in the European Union has been banned - not not charging them at all.

Other studies suggest fear of bill shock means many travellers turn roaming off and use Wi-Fi or even switch their phone off entirely when overseas, meaning no revenue is generated for operators.

The mobile phone industry battled long and hard with Commission over the details of the plan to end roaming, warning it could mean higher prices at home.

Just a few years ago, European mobile phone users travelling across the EU could face a nasty bill when they got home.

Calls on Norwegian mobiles from other EU/EEA countries to Norway will work as domestic calls (since these calls will be from one Norwegian number to another) and will not cost extra.

However, fair usage caps will still apply when you use your phone overseas.

However extra charges may still apply if consumers exceed their data allowance while overseas.

They are contained within a European regulation, not a directive, so they have not been incorporated into United Kingdom law.

Roaming charges across Europe have more-or-less been completely scrapped, starting from today.

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